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Showcase opens office in town

By Lindsay Carey
Staff Writer
Showcase Realty just recently opened their fifth office at 176 North Main Street in Southington.
“We’re very pleased with the response,” said owner John Donato. “We have had several listing and buyer inquiries in our first week open.”
According to Donato, Showcase reality is the largest real estate company in the greater Waterbury area, with offices in Watertown, Waterbury, Thomaston and Naugatuck.
He also said that they are currently seeking to acquire a space in Bristol, because it’s another town that Showcase agents do a significant amount of business in.
Donato said the move to Southington was prompted by a trend of clientele seeking homes in the area.
“In our experience, a lot of people want to move to Southington,” said Donato. “We think we can better serve our clients with a local office.”
Donato said he believes the trend of buyers seeking out houses in Southington is due to its reputation of being a nice town with an active community and good schools.
He credits Showcase Realty’s superior marketing of client’s property as one of their reasons for their growth and success.
Although Donato has some agents from other offices on staff, he said he is looking to hire some local agents at the Southington office.
Showcase Realty, which has been open since 1993, is a locally owned business and because it is not franchised, those savings allow them to give commission splits to their agents.
They business also has an agent branding program, which allows agents to display their picture and cell phone number on their listings.
“We do this because we think nobody knows that property better and we think they can handle a direct call with superior knowledge of that property,” said Donato. “The agents love it because it puts a spotlight on them.”
Between their five offices, Showcase Realty currently has approximately 100 agents on staff.
As for the market, Donato says that it’s looking up for buyers right now.
“Now is a great time to buy, because the prices are low historically and the interest rates are very attractive,” said Donato. “It’s unique for that to happen.”